Art Surprises

Partial view of Bellagio, Las Vegas  3.5"x11"

Waiting for the spectacular water fountain show in front of Bellagio I sketched the wings of the massive hotel/casino building from across the body of water.  I have a small sketch book  (3.5x5.5" )which easily fits into my purse and is handy for fast little sketches, even though, as I recently discovered, it  is difficult to photograph. Still, I love it because I tend to pull the book out more often as I find myself getting a little bolder about sketching in public. Next step is to equip myself with a small watercolor field kit and try my hand at doing small studies -until then I will happily play with my camera :) The Bellagio also has a beautiful glass ceiling installation by the artist Dale Chihuly in their lobby and a chandelier in the casino area. I also saw an exhibit  there : 'Figuratively Speaking: A survey of the human form'  showcasing about 30 paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture by artists from 1800 to present day. I enjoyed  the unexpected opportunity to see the works of Picasso, Renoir, Degas, Hockney, Lichenstein, Chuck Close, and others. 

Closer to home, I have two color pencil pieces - Hot Shadows and Reflections in the 'Small Works : Miniatures by Hampton Roads Artists' at the Charles Taylor Arts Center/The Hampton Arts Commission, Hampton, VA.  The opening yesterday was fun and the show will run through Dec. 5.    

Gambling Life

Casino sketches 

Rather than play and gamble at the casinos in Las Vegas, I sat just outside the halls and spent a little time sketching the slot machines etc and as usual clicked away merrily with my camera. May be,  if I wasn't so terribly allergic to cigarette smoke and perfumes, I might have spent more time and money inside the casinos:), but this gave me a chance to wander around the strip with my camera outdoors. It was my first visit to the amazingly surreal city where it is a fine line between what is real and make-believe; where Italy, Paris, New York and Treasure Island all are right next to each other; where Michael Jackson, Wonder Woman, Elvis and space aliens roam the streets making you wonder if you are in a dream!!!. We enjoyed a couple of  amazing and excellent shows - La Reve and  The Jersey Boys. My body being in Eastern Standard Time, woke up every morning to breathtaking view of desert sunrise and distant mountains in the background and I had to make an effort to stay past 8PM there to see the city-lights and life at night :). I could see the truth in Artie Lange's  quote: " Vegas means comedy, tragedy, happiness and sadness all at the same time."